TORONTO, ON. – Innocence Canada is proud to announce the appointment of Bhavan K. Sodhi as Chief Executive Officer, effective November 2, 2026.
A criminal defence barrister and solicitor, Sodhi brings over a decade of executive, courtroom, and academic leadership in wrongful conviction advocacy across both Canada and the United States. Following her earlier tenure as Innocence Canada’s Legal Director, Sodhi remained deeply embedded in the organization’s work, serving continuously on both its Board of Directors and its Case Review Committee.
As counsel, Sodhi has worked on some of Innocence Canada’s landmark wrongful conviction cases, including the historic exonerations of Brian Anderson and Allan Woodhouse nearly 50 years after their convictions – a decision in which the court formally acknowledged how systemic racism infected their case – as well as the exonerations of Robert Mailman and Walter Gillespie, who were acquitted 40 years after being wrongfully convicted.
Sodhi’s broader career includes serving as Chief Program Officer at the Innocence Project in New York and Executive Director of the Innocence Project at Osgoode Hall Law School. A dedicated legal educator, she taught the Wrongful Conviction Seminar at Osgoode Hall Law School and co-founded the Wrongful Conviction Externship at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. In her new role as CEO, Sodhi will lead Innocence Canada’s legal casework, client support, legal education, and systemic law reform initiatives across the country.
“Innocence Canada has been central to my life’s work, and stepping into the role of CEO is a profound honour,” said Sodhi. “Having had the privilege of representing wrongfully convicted individuals and serving alongside our dedicated colleagues on the Board and Case Review Committee, I have seen firsthand the urgent need for relentless legal advocacy. I look forward to building on this legacy as we work together to serve our clients, free the innocent, confront systemic bias, and drive lasting reform across Canada’s criminal legal system.” Bhavan K. Sodhi